Over two dozen Democrats have proposed legislation that would eliminate the words "husband" and "wife" from federal law.
This may seem drastic and almost random at first, but the entire effort is the equivalent of saying "he or she" instead of "he," according to News Hounds.
Those "gendered terms" would be replaced by "gender-neutral" words like "spouse" or "married couple," according to the bill from Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif, Hot Air reported.
"The Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act recognizes that the words in our laws have meaning and can continue to reflect prejudice and discrimination even when rendered null by our highest courts," Capps said. "Our values as a country are reflected in our laws. I authored this bill because it is imperative that our federal code reflect the equality of all marriages."
This bill is aimed at taking the next step towards the equality of all marriages after the Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage was legal, according to the Washington Examiner.
Capps goes on to mention other advantages the bill would provide if it became law. In one example, she noted that U.S. law says that it's illegal to threaten the president's wife, but says nothing about the president's husband. The bill would protect the husband as well by changing the "wife" to "spouse."
Many believe that this bill has been proposed in consideration of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. If she were to win the election, former President Bill Clinton would become the "first husband" or, in this case, "first spouse."
